COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 11 Ohio State men’s hockey team was defeated by Central Collegiate Hockey Association foe Alaska Fairbanks, 4-1, Friday in Value City Arena. The loss ends OSU’s 12-game home ice winning streak and stops its league home unbeaten streak at 17 (14-0-3). OSU is 14-2-0 in Value City Arena this season.

The loss, OSU’s second in a row, drops the Buckeyes to 21-8-3 overall and 15-6-2 in league play. The Nanooks improve to 11-12-6 on the year and 8-11-6 in CCHA play. With Michigan’s win tonight, the Buckeyes drop to third place in the CCHA.

The Buckeyes and Nanooks will end their two-game series at 8:05 p.m. Saturday at Value City Arena.

UAF had a two-goal lead just under six minutes into the game. Blaine Bablitz got the Nanooks on the board, putting in the rebound of a Ryan Lang shot at 4:06. At 5:47, Jason Grinevitch put UAF up by two. OSU had 12 shots on goal in the period, UAF nine. There were no penalties called in the stanza.

Ryan Campbell extended the UAF lead to three with a shorthanded goal 6:55 into the second period. Betz kept the UAF lead at three as he stopped a breakaway by Tom Herman with under two minutes left in the period. OSU outshot the Nanooks in the period, 15-9. Each team was scoreless on one power-play opportunity.

Campbell added his second goal of the game at the 6:38 mark of the third period. The Buckeyes broke UAF goalie Keith Bartusch’s shutout on an unassisted goal by R.J. Umberger, his 20th of the season, at 17:50. OSU had 14 shots in the stanza, UAF eight.

In the game, Ohio State outshot the Nanooks, 41-26. Betz made 22 saves for the Buckeyes, while Bartusch had 40 for UAF.

Each team had just three penalties and six penalty minutes in the game, with two sets of coincidental calls. The squads both were 0-for-1 on the power play. Postgame Quotes Ohio State head coach John Markell “We were outworked tonight. They (UAF) came in here, created chances and out-skated us. When we aren’t scoring every little thing we do is exposed. They are an explosive hockey team and the type that will send three or four guys out on you.

“Our backbreaker in the last two games has been allowing a shorthand goal. We can’t have that. Overall, the team effort wasn’t there tonight. They (UAF) are going to be even more motivated tomorrow and our guys have to respond.

“This one hurt. Our guys have to go back to drawing board and have to understand it comes from the heart. The effort has to be there. We are a more desperate hockey club than they are right now.”

Alaska Fairbanks head coach Guy Gadowsky “We have scored first in quite a few games this season so we are getting used to it. Overall, we played mentally tough. Ohio State had some great scoring chances, especially in the second period, but we had big saves. We played with discipline and that is something we take pride in. We might as well start now because that is the way the playoffs are going to be.

“Ohio State is a scary team. They have great goaltending. We got huge saves at huge times. That is what it comes down in the league. Timing is everything. We’ll see what happens tomorrow.”